RAZ KIDS for Reading Practice

Grades K-5

Raz Kids is a comprehensive leveled reading program that provides opportunities for students to read eBooks online. This program allows students to listen to, read at their own pace, and record themselves reading. After reading, students will take a corresponding eQuiz complete with an extended answer response to test comprehension. Raz Kids paces ability levels as your child progresses through the program.

Parent Tip:

Check out this page on Raz Kids to explore ideas for reading with your child.

Resource Access:

Sylvania Schools pays for Raz Kids accounts for all elementary students. Sign in online through the site by clicking the green button called “Kids Login." Your child will then be able to read books at their ability level online and take comprehension assessments.

If you receive a message stating that your account is not active, please complete this form. We will activate the account for you quickly.

Supporting Materials

Raz Kids Overview

Raz Kids Student Tutorial

VOOKS FOR ANIMATED STORYBOOK READING

Grades K-3

Vooks is a kid-safe, ad-free streaming library of read-aloud animated storybooks. Vooks incorporate important characteristics of an effective reading by providing a model of fluent, expressive narration. Their books are animated with purposeful pacing to help maintain attention in a positive way that promotes a love of reading and a lifelong impact. In addition, Vooks include lesson plans which include themes, summaries, talking points, discussion ideas, activity ideas and even vocab cards.

Parent Tip:

Vooks presents video storybooks, which means you can pause the playback to practice words. Watch the book with your child, stopping from time to time to practice words that are challenging and reinforce words that are familiar. Also, check out the "Lesson Plans" section for detailed plans to guide this interactive reading and suggest activities.

Resource Access:

Vooks charges $4.99 per month for access, and Sylvania Schools does not currently support student accounts. Free 1-month access is available, though, which could be enough for a summer and certainly enough to determine whether the resources is worth $4.99 per month for your child. Click here to access that free month.

Supporting Materials

"The Importance of Interactive Read-alouds"

Vooks Preview

READING ROCKETS ADVENTURE PACKS for ENGAGED Reading

Grades K-3

Reading Rockets provides completely free "adventure packs," which are paper-based guides for themed reading activities. Each pack includes a parent information note, one non-fiction book, one fiction book, a creative activity, an imagination activity, a "Get Real" activity, and a list of extra resources.

Parent Tip:

Dig into the instructions page in each pack and follow the simple directions for all reading and related activities.

Resource Access:

Visit the Adventure Pack page here. Simply scroll down to see the selections, organized by grade level.

COMMONLIT FOR ENGAGED READING

Grades 3-12

CommonLit is a non-profit organization that provides over 2,000 free reading passages complemented with aligned assessments. CommonLit is offering a free digital reading challenge for children in grades 3-12 to keep them actively reading over the summer.

Parent Tip:

One you've logged in, find the "Library" drop-down menu. From there, you and your child can browse reading selections by grade level, genre, and more. Once you've found a selection, you will find a wealth of materials beyond just the passage. You will find guiding questions, annotation tools, quiz-style questions, and discussion starters. You can even use a read aloud and text size tool for easier access.

CommonLit uses the Lexile system for determining the reading level of a passage. If you select a grade level when searching for the passage, the passages found will represent the Lexile level of that grade. You can also search by Lexile, though, and use that flexibilty to find passages more or less difficult than your child's grade level. Check this link to see a chart showing which Lexile level equates to your child's grade.

Resource Access:

Visit the homepage here. The entire service is free, so you can create an account or use a single-sign-on (SSO) option with Google and other accounts. CommonLit is 100% free.

Supporting Materials

"Everything you need to know about CommonLit is less than 10 minutes"

STARFALL for Reading, PHONICS, AND MATH

Grades pre-K-3

This program is designed to encourage fun while learning reading, phonics, and math. Although parents can pay for a membership, there are many activities that are free for your child to enjoy. It's a great resource for quick access to quality educational exercises.

Parent Tip:

Check out this page on Starfall for tips and guidance. In the bottom left, you will see a section titled "Using Starfall.com." That section provides help on basic use and tips for success.

Resource Access:

Visit the homepage here. If you create an account, a fee is attached. Plenty of activities are available for free, though, so you can skip the "Sign In" button and click on the desired grade level. Once in the desired grade level, navigation to resources is simple.

Supporting Materials

Starfall YouTube Channel

MATHSEEDS FOR MATH PRACTICE

Grades K-2

Mathseeds is a highly interactive and personalized learning journey that will help your child build mathematical skills at their own pace. Mathseeds teaches kids core mathematics and problem solving skills needed to be successful with fun, highly interactive and rewarding lessons. Mathseeds combines highly structured lessons with fun motivational elements that keep children engaged to learn.

Parent Tip:

Mathseeds does an excellent job of supporting parents, and the resources linked below can help. Check out the parent tutorial to learn how to navigate the resource. Work with your child until they feel comfortable moving through exercises more independently. Check this link to read the lesson overview for your child’s grade. The page will provide discussion of which exercises address which grade level and why.

Resource Access:

Mathseeds can be accessed through the district Clever portal. Go here to learn how to access. The district is currently supporting paid accounts for students.

Supporting Materials

Quick Parent Tutorial

Distance Learning Support for Parents

MATHletics FOR MATH PRACTICE

Grades 3-5

Mathletics is a comprehensive online math program designed to motivate students to practice math concepts. This program addresses Depth of Knowledge (DOK) to equip students with strategies to reason, interpret, and solve increasingly complex problem types while facilitating higher-order thinking. It also has Live Mathletics, where students can play against other students in their class and from all around the world in real-time math challenges.

Parent Tip:

Mathletics does an excellent job of supporting parents, and the resources linked below can help. Check out the parent tutorial to learn how to navigate the resource. Work with your child until they feel comfortable moving through exercises more independently.

Resource Access:

Mathseeds can be accessed through the district Clever portal. Go here to learn how to access. The district is currently supporting paid accounts for students.

Supporting Materials

Quick Parent Tutorial

Distance Learning Support for Parents

30-Day Summer Challenge

prodigy FOR MATH PRACTICE

Grades 1-8

Prodigy is a digital math curriculum aligned to standards that adapts in difficulty to suit students' learning style and grade level. This site gives parents the opportunity to monitor and support learning in a free parent account. Students will be motivated by the game-based learning to build math confidence in a safe and private environment.

Parent Tip:

Prodigy provides excellent tools for determining student growth. Read the parent tutorial webpage linked below to learn about these tools. Then, work with your child until they feel comfortable moving through exercises more independently. Check periodically to see progress through the growth-monitoring tools.

Resource Access:

Prodigy provides free and premium accounts. Free accounts will provide access to less content than premium accounts. Go here to sign up for a free account or learn more about a premium account. Sylvania Schools does not currently provide premium accounts to students.

Supporting Materials

Quick Parent Tutorial (video)

Parent Tutorial (webpage)

ixl FOR MATH, language arts, science, and social studies learning

Grades pre-K-12

IXL provides a deep repository of practice exercises in the four core academic content areas. Students can select from a range of skills for practice. If they miss a question, the resource will explain the correct answer and provide short lessons for help. With an account, IXL personalizes the exercises based on the student's activity.

Parent Tip:

Talk with your child about which skills they were working on in school last year, possibly by looking through the skills listed by grade level and seeing which are familiar. Use that as a baseline for starting. If using a premium account, access the diagnostic tools to make a plan for work.

Resource Access:

IXL provides free, limited access as well as premium accounts. Some schools in Sylvania are actively using IXL, and those students have accounts. Check with your child to see if they have accessed an account previously. Otherwise, a premium account can provide all the resources and personalization options. If no premium option is available for you, IXL is still an excellent resource to drop in an practice a skill for a short time.

Supporting Materials

IXL YouTube Channel

IXL Parent Guide (video)

IXL Parent Guide (paper)

gizmos FOR interactive MATH and science learning

Grades 3-12

Gizmos provides STEM resources that include interactive, virtual experiments for science and dynamic elements for math. Each lesson is supported by a paper-based worksheet and instructional document to accompany the online elements. The name of the resource comes from the company's term for their lesson matched with interactive element, a gizmo. Content ranges from number and operations to data analysis and probability.

Parent Tip:

You can browse gizmos through your account, searching by grade level, to find courses and topics that your child has already been taught or is anticipating. Select one and browse with your child to find an area of focus to start. Select one and print the lesson to support the use of the interactive element.

Resource Access:

Sign up for a free parent account trial, which will provide 30 days of access. Paid parent accounts are available by request.

Supporting Materials

Explore Learning's Gizmos Introduction (video)

Explore Learning's Gizmos YouTube Channel